The Republican Party is becoming increasingly unified following presumptive nominee Donald Trump's endorsement over the weekend by the National Rifle Association and the praise by conservatives of the real estate mogul's list of potential Supreme Court nominations,
The Washington Times reports.
Despite the continued reluctance of many party stalwarts to back Trump, the twin embrace by two such vital groups in the Republican Party as the gun lobby and conservatives concerned about the Supreme Court, especially pro-lifers, appears to help enhance support and enthusiasm for Trump.
This is considered crucial to line up the volunteers needed to become active for Trump during the election campaign
GOP strategist Michael McKenna told The Washington Times, "The right is starting to coalesce. Questions about is he sufficiently conservative have been banished."
Another factor helping to increase unity is realization by many that whatever Trump's faults might be, he is much preferred by the Republican base over Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.
But not everyone agrees that the recent surge of support for Trump is enough to offset the reservations about him.
The Daily Caller, for example reports that Trump won only one of 41 delegates at Washington State's GOP Convention over the weekend, even though he is the only candidate left in the primaries. The other 40 delegates went to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz
Even though their support of Cruz will not technically matter because delegates must cast national-convention ballots based on the results of Tuesday's primary, which Trump is expected to overwhelmingly win, the symbolism of the protest against Trump is quite clear and defies those who say unity is growing stronger.
Robert Becker, writing in
Salon, pointed out what he called the hypocrisy of those Republican purists who are willing to compromise their principles:
"How wonderfully flexible are such self-anointed idealists — defying all 'compromise' as sinful (even with a rational president) — yet now embracing the loose cannon who makes all other scatterguns look secure — and who himself scorns compromise as the losers' way out. "
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